The UK’s heritage includes the natural environment, parks and landscapes, historic buildings, museums, libraries and archives, archaeology, industrial, maritime and transport heritage, as well as cultural traditions, language and history passed on from generation to generation – in short, everything we have inherited from the past, and value enough to want to share and sustain for the future.

Our funding has supported projects of all sizes, ranging from thousands of small awards to local groups, to major projects such as the restoration and refurbishment of Brighton Museum and Art Gallery or the acquisition of the 29,000-hectare Highlands wilderness of Mar Lodge estate in Scotland.

£390 million for parks
HLF has provided the first significant injection of funding into our public parks and other green spaces for over a century. Our pioneering survey of public parks showed that by the mid-1990s the majority were in very poor condition and basic visitor facilities were being lost at an alarming rate. Some 268 of our most distinctive public parks, squares, gardens, promenades and historic cemeteries have now been transformed, protecting local character and charm.

‘It is to the great credit of the Heritage Lottery Fund… that there are now so many excellent examples of how public parks can contribute to the transformation of our towns and cities.’
Alan Barber, Commissioner, Cabe Space

£2.9 billion for regeneration
As one of the largest regeneration funds in the UK our awards have revived 468 run-down areas in seaside towns such as Great Yarmouth, in tiny market towns and in urban centres such as Glasgow and Gateshead. In addition to funding townscapes, our awards to parks, places of worship and larger grants add up to £2.9 billion for regeneration.

Over £1 billion for historic buildings
Revitalised buildings can be the heart of vibrant cities and towns. Over 9,500 historic buildings have been benefited, from tiny crofts in the Scottish Highlands to historic houses such as Hardwick Hall, one of England’s finest Elizabethan buildings. Urban icons such as the Hackney Empire or St George’s Hall, Liverpool, can now continue to play an important role in their communities.

Over £300 million for places of worship
Places of worship of all faiths are central to the identity of many people, communities and places in the United Kingdom. We value them for their religious, historical and aesthetic significance, as the place for important events in our lives, and the focus of social and cultural activities. More than 2,000 churches, chapels and cathedrals have been revived with our support.

£458 million for industrial, maritime and transport heritage
Industrial and transport heritage attract support from thousands of dedicated volunteers. Our funding has secured crucial parts of the UK’s working-class history – such as New Lanark World Heritage Site in Scotland - for future generations to enjoy. And with our help unique aspects of our maritime heritage have been saved.

‘Our history and national character as a proud maritime nation is reflected and embodied in the ships that the Heritage Lottery Fund is helping to preserve.’
Admiral Sir Alan West GCB DSC ADC, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff

Over £300 million for land and countryside
The countryside is one the UK’s greatest assets, but it is vulnerable to many pressures, from intensive farming to over-development and climate change. From the Tweed Valley in Scotland to Sherwood Forest and the Cotswolds, our funding has helped care for our most important landscapes and ensured that the countryside is accessible and enjoyed by as many people as possible.

‘HLF has helped many organisations to achieve something profoundly important – the survival and revival of the distinctiveness and diversity of our countryside.’
Fiona Reynolds, Director-General, The National Trust

£200 million for biodiversity projects
Red squirrels, basking sharks, water voles, and horseshoe bats are just some of the priority species that have benefited from awards to over 1,000 biodiversity projects. Organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have used our funding to buy land for nature conservation, and together with other conservation projects, HLF has helped restore an area of land three times the size of the Isle of Wight.

Over £1.3 billion awarded to museums, libraries and archives
Major museums in cities such as Edinburgh, Swansea, Belfast, Norwich, Manchester and Liverpool, as well as libraries and archives, including many smaller independent organisations, have benefited - refurbishing buildings, acquiring objects and paintings, and creating around 150 new education posts and 100 new spaces for learning.

‘It is essential that this transformation continues as a legacy to our own and future generations.’
Mark Wood, chairman, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council